


A kind coward

by BlankA4



Category: RWBY
Genre: Anti-Faunus Racism (RWBY), Gen, I Tried, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Intrusive Thoughts, Minor Original Character(s), Minor Violence, Past Blake Belladonna/Adam Taurus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:27:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22481005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlankA4/pseuds/BlankA4
Summary: To see evil, know what is right, and to choose to ignore is the act of a coward. But it's more complicated then that. Or is calling a situation `complicated' just a cowardly excuses for doing nothing?A one-shot focused on Blake and how she tries to help the faunus once out of the White-Fang.
Kudos: 1





	A kind coward

"To see evil, know what is right, and to choose to ignore is the act of a coward."

Blake put her book down with a sigh. Her books didn't normally fail to comfort her but sometimes they were right jerks, she didn't need reminding that she was a coward. Rubbing the bridge of her nose she pulled her blanket up over her knees leaning back on the bed. Yang had been insistent that she took a break from chasing the white fang and half of Blake's mind agreed with her but the other half was busy shouting over the logic of her mind instead taking it upon itself to helpfully remind Blake of what she was. _Coward! Lazy! Useless Animal. You are just as bad for not doing anything at all! What would he say if he saw you?! _Giving up on her book Blake slid off the bunk and made her way to the canteen careful to not wake the rest of the team as she left their dorm room. The canteen at Beacon was a large room with long wooden tables that stretched the length of the room, with high arched windows along the walls and a ceiling that exposed the roof beams as it reached towards the sky. In short, it was large and made Blake feel exposed. As quick as she could Blake filled her tray with anything prepackaged, piling breakfast muffins, juice boxes, sandwiches, bananas, and bagels into a precarious tower. A canteen worker glared at Blake as she scanned her student card, well if a scholarship includes free food she thought I might as well make good use of it. Blake walked towards a table waiting until all eyes were off her to discreetly tip her tray into her open bag that hung from her shoulder and slip out of the door unnoticed.__

____

Once outside her strides lengthened and shoulders relaxed. A quick bus ride took Blake into the center of the city where she made her way to the Peoples United Soup House, PUSH for short. Tightening her hair bow she stepped inside. It was a low ceiling room, with yellow paint flaking off the walls and a mix match of tables and chairs that seated an arrange of colorful characters who were all busy eating as if they hadn't seen food for weeks. Some hadn't. 

____

"Ah, Pepper I was wondering when you would get here," the speaker was a woman with kind brown eyes who was busy collecting dishes which were balanced precariously on her knees as she guided her wheelchair skillfully around the crowded room. 

____

"Morning Mrs Teal." Blake said while subtly shifting her bag behind her shoulder out of sight. 

____

"There's a group of _them_ sitting at the back." her eyes darted to a group of faunus, "they said they won't go until they've been fed, I've tried explaining that we're only funded for the human homeless but they won't listen... please can just get rid of them before...you know." Mrs Teals words faded off. 

____

With a nod Blake made her way to the back table trying to ignore the poster on the walls that warded off the faunus. Round the table sat four faunus; one with antlers that were half the height of the norm and were blackened and cracked; one with green scales scattered across their skin, another with fangs that came to a sharp point just below their lips; and the final figure appeared human at first glance but had rectangular pupils like a goat. 

____

"No food, we ain't leaving!" the deer faunus spat out on seeing Blake.  
"Morning to you too. This soup kitchen doesn't have the funding to feed all so the council decided-"  
"No food missy, then we ain't leaving!"  
"But this kitchen..."  
"Yeah I get it little missy. No funding for faunus homeless so maybe we'll all die off and save this grand city the trouble. Well I ain't buying it. We deserve to be fed as much as anyone else here! Ain't that what your always saying Scales" the deer faunus said nodding at the Snake faunus, "We deserve the same right. 

____

Smiling warmly Blake said, "Yes you do, and the Fang breaks the Ice. Now shout at me and storm out please."  
The White Fang's code phase was a bit on the nose about the Schnee family but it normally did the job. At the words "the Fang break the Ice" recognition lit up in the snakes faunus eyes as he then whispers something to his mates before throwing back his chair which fell to the floor with a loud clatter. He lunged forward, fist swinging towards Blake. Scales missed Blake's nose by inches and the momentum left him stumbling forward. Snapping into action Blake grabbed Scales wrist and twisted his arm back. 

____

"Oi! Let go, you entitled human scum!"  
"Pepper!" Mrs Teal's panicked voice came from the kitchen.  
"It's under control. Just give me a minute to deal with this human wannabe."  
"How dare you -argh." Scales barked, cut off as Blake pulled his arm up sharply behind him. 

____

Swiftly Blake guide Scales around the tables and out into the street, the other faunus followed yelling abuse as they went. Once out the door Blake relaxed her grip, and when out of sight safely down a side alley she let go entirely. Scales stretched his arm and held up his hand for a high five. 

____

Rolling her eyes at him Blake said, "I said shout at me. Not punch me!"  
"Hey it's not my fault I have a flare for drama!"  
"That's what you call it?!" Blake continued to ignore Scales up held hand.  
"So... why did you pull rank on us?" the deer faunus asked, when Blake hesitated to answer he continued, "'Human wannabe' hu!? says the kitty hiding as a pretty girl with a bow? Really that’s the best insult you could come up with?"  
"Um yeah, sorry about that. Anyway this Charity is part of a bigger classified mission and your presence could have caused problems." 

____

"So... this bigger mission...will it get us breakfast?" The goat faunus asked. Her sentences were punctuated with stomach rumbles. 

____

Slipping the bag off her shoulder Blake offered them the choice of breakfasts snacks, "That's the goal, to change the law so there's breakfast for all. But for now breakfasts on’s me.”  
Bidding them goodbye and asking them to spread the word, Blake left them tearing open the canteen food, with her bag significantly lighter.  
Going back into the soup kitchen, Blake tied an apron around her waist and started to peel potatoes ready for the next day. Mrs Teal made a point of not asking about the faunus, instead rattling on about little Joey's school play. Guilt gnawed at Blake. Had she done enough? She knew Adam would have done more. He would have made a stand, gone to the council and demanded the charity end the discrimination. Who was she kidding, he would have kicked up a storm and faced it all head on. Instead she was too afraid to start the fight. Stuck trying to appease both sides, while stealing from Beacon and lying to the faunus about a ‘big mission’. _Stupid! Coward._ Looking out of the service hatch Blake could see the empty table where the four faunus had sat. At least they wouldn't go hungry today. _Even if I should do more, I did something._ It did little to ease the guilt but stopped her mind shouting _Coward!_ quite so loudly. Although the white fangs approach had been wrong it had been far easier then this. 

____

Mrs Teal's voice cut through Blake's thoughts, “Sorry Pepper, there's another half-breed causing a ruckus out the back. Can you deal with it please?” Mrs Teal said, not noticing the slurs she used as if they didn’t matter. To her they didn’t. 

____

“There in just a second.” Blake sighed inwardly as she cringed at the slurs, _coward!_ she should have challenged Mrs Teal’s language. Instead Blake went out the back where she found a fox faunus kicking over the bins and making a general mess of the place. 

____

___“Hey, can you stop that?”_ _ _

____

___The fox faunus whirled rounded at the sound of her voice, his eyes full of rage, “What you gonna do about it!” he snapped before hurling a dustbin lid at Blake. She caught the lid with ease, setting it down carefully and taking a moment to draw her aura in beneath her skin. A useful trick for hiding that your aura is unlocked, learn from who else but Adam._ _ _

____

___“The Fang breaks the Ice and-”  
“Don’t give me that s***! You lap-cat, go crawl back to your master,”this was accompanied by a thrown bottle which fell short and shattered against the floor.  
“I’m just trying to help, here I’ve got food to share if your hungry.” Blake said rummaging in her bag.  
“I don’t want your f****** charity!” the fox faunus said, lobbing another dustbin lid at Blake. _ _ _

____

___Blake ducked only to be hit in the back of the head as the lid bounced off the wall behind her. Eyes watering she stumbled back, her bag spilling open as spots danced in her vision.  
From behind a pile of bin bags a small child crept out of hiding, fox tail rigid in fear but reaching for a sandwich_ _ _

____

___“Hey! Matt, I told you to stay hidden!.”  
“But Pa, you beat the bad guy and I’m hunnnnnngry!” they whine.  
“Almost Matt, go take that to your sister and I’ll bring the rest in a minute.”  
“Okay, but I’m eating half!”  
“Fine, run along now, there's a good boy.” with that the boy disappeared into an alley, trailing breadcrumbs._ _ _

____

___Blake’s head was slowly clearing along with her vision. Stiffly she got up from where she had slumped against the wall. The trouble with burying your aura is it didn’t protect the outer inch of ones body._ _ _

____

___“You have a kid?” she asked.  
“Not your f****** business.”  
“I thought you didn’t want charity?” Blake asked as she watched the fox faunus gather the fallen food and stuff it into a dozen different pockets.  
“This isn’t charity, it's an honest daylight robbery.” He said with a malicious smile.  
“Oh.”  
“So hand over your wallet and scroll”_ _ _

____

___Blake hesitated unsure; on one hand she needed it but on the other she was pretty sure the academy would replace the scroll and there wasn’t much lein in the wallet, he needed it more anyway._ _ _

____

“Now! “ he said sharply, stepping forward which forced Blake to back up into the wall.  
“I cant-” Blake thought of the ID in it, too risky. Looking around desperately she searched for an easy way out. _Coward, you just don’t want to fight. Pathetic, there's nothing stopping you. I trained you for this. Filthy Coward._

____

The fox faunus had grown inpatient, “Fine have it your f****** way b****.”  
“What-” Blake gasped as he shoved her. Her back spiked with pain as it slammed into the wall. Blake tried not to think of all the dirt and urine dried onto the wall. He had his forearm pressed against her throat, the pressure painfully restricting the blood flow. 

____

“I’ll just take it from your unconscious body, hu?!” He spat, leering at her and pushing harder, crushing the air out of her windpipe. 

____

_coward_

____

“Ff...fine.” Blake choked out. Whether to herself or the faunus she didn't know. Just that it was time to act. Triggering her semblance she slipped out of the hold, leaving a shadow clone there just long enough to confuse without giving away what she had done. The relief was instant as she breathed freely but short lived. A piercing pain erupted in her shoulder. Too distracted by the relief she had left her back vulnerable to the faunas. _idiot_ Green glass stuck out of her shoulder, blood seeped out around it. Clenching her teeth to suppress a whimper Blake dropped into a crouch sweeping the faunus legs out from under him with a well place kick. He tumbled to the floor. 

____

Scampering back the fox faunus knocked a bin over. Bottles spilled out of it. In quick succession he launched them at Blake. She flared her aura. The lilac light shimmered over her as the bottles harmlessly broke against it. 

____

“You have a f****** aura!” shock filled his voice. The fox faunus scrambled to his feet. Turning tail he ran off into the back alleys. 

____

Exhaustion threatened to overwhelm Blake. Holding her aura in, and then forcing it to deflect glass shards is never fun. After catching her breath and once her aura has stemmed the bleeding she gently pulls the glass from her shoulder. Judging by the blood on the glass, it didn't look deep. She straightened her bow. Picking up the now empty bag she went inside, leaving the mess of shattered bottles, rubbish and breakfast foods. 

____

“Pepper!” Mrs Teals eyes widen at the blood, “What happened? Come sit down dear.” The room is littered with dirty dishes and in the kitchen the kettle is screeching. 

____

With measured breaths Blake lies “It's not mine. The blood I mean. I’m fine.” Her aura has just about closed the laceration, only leaving the blood as a clue that there was ever a cut there. 

____

“Still, I can finish up today. You should go home. You sure you're okay?” Mrs Teals eyes are full of concern, “Those blooming animals, savages the lot of them.” 

____

Blake pretends not to hear that last comment as she walks away to washes the blood off. The water runs red from the towel used to sponge it all off. Splashing her face with water Blake avoids looking in the mirror, who wants to look at the face of a coward? She only won because he was untrained.  
_It’s okay, that's why we're at Beacon, to learn to be better.  
You still a Coward.  
I can learn to be brave.  
Coward._

____

On the bus journey back to Beacon Blake stared out the window, refusing to think of the fox faunus and child, instead trying to pinpoint exactly what colour the goat faunus eyes had been. She couldn’t remember but it kept her mind occupied until she was at Beacon. 

____

___~_ _ _

____

Ruby, Yang and Weiss were just leaving the canteen with croissants in hand when they bumped into Blake in the courtyard.  
"Hey we were wondering where you went?" Yang said as she draped an arm over Blake's shoulder.  
"You missed breakfast but we saved you some!" Ruby chipped in, "Almost snuck out a pot of coffee but... Nora."  
"Thanks" Blake said as she unwrapped the croissant, _hm it came in a plastic wrap next time I'll pinch some of these to._

____

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :D  
> Want to play a fun game of guessing how many times I switched tense without meaning too?
> 
> ('o')


End file.
